It was only a few days ago when poker professional Maurice Hawkins from West Palm Beach, Florida topped the field of the 2015/16 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs $365 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em event for his fifth WSOP Circuit gold ring and a payout of $19,477. And it all shows that Horseshoe Council Bluffs is the player’s lucky venue as he emerged victorious in no other but the $1,675 Main Event, adding another gold piece to his collection and $113,152 to his poker bankroll.
Hawkins attributed his performance during the latest stop of the 2015/16 WSOP Circuit to the the change in his play style. The player said that he used to play erratically but can now describe his new style of play as much smarter than before.
The 2015/16 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs $1,675 Main Event commenced on April 8. The tournament featured two starting flights and two more days of action. It attracted a total of 321 entries. They all had equal chances to win a portion of the $481,500 prize pool. However, only those who took the top 33 positions were paid, with min-cashes starting from $2,875.
Day 3 of the Main Event started at noon on Monday with six players returning to determine the champion. They were all guaranteed a minimum payout of $21,489. At the time when cards were thrown in the air, it was Ryan Phan who had the majority of chips in his hands. The player held a total of 1,785,000 and was followed by Hawkins himself with 1,525,000.
Eventually, the two players faced each other heads-up. Two-handed play began with Phan holding a considerable advantage over Hawkins. At some point, Hawkins won a monster pot to take the lead. The player took the best possible advantage of the situation and busted his opponent not long after.
On the very last hand, the flop came [8s][4s][4d]. Then, the [Qc] appeared on the turn to see Hawkins check. Phan bet 60,000, and Hawkins raised to 425,000. Phan took a while before moving all in. His opponent snap-called and both players tabled their hands. Hawkins had [4h][3d] against Phan’s [6h][4c]. The river brought[3h], securing Hawkins with a full house and the title. Phan had to console himself with the second-place finish and a payout of $69,962.
Michael Lang from Waukee, Iowa finished 3rd in the event for $50,813. Maxx Coleman from Wichita, Kansas took 4th place for $37,533. Robert Slezak from Omaha, Nebraska collected $28,177 for his 5th place. Joshua Turner from Saint Louis, Missouri finished 6th, good for $21,489. The player won the $580 No-Limit Hold’em at Horseshoe Council Bluffs only a few days ago.
Daniel Shea from Westminster, Colorado took 7th place for $16,645. Mike Vanier from Lincoln, Nebraska received $13,087 for taking 8th place. Jose Mendoza from Omaha, Nebraska rounded out the official final table for $10,444.
